Curtain wall with integrated screens

Aluminum system house offers innovative solution to heat stress in buildings

Overheating of buildings in summer is a growing problem. During the seminar "Heat stress in buildings" on Sept. 26 by aluminum system house Kawneer of Harderwijk, the causes and consequences of this phenomenon were highlighted in detail. Thereby Kawneer also presented an innovative solution to prevent overheating of buildings, in the form of a curtain wall with integrated screens.

A major cause of increasing heat stress in buildings is climate change. In the Netherlands, for example, the number of sunshine hours has increased significantly and 2023 was the sunniest year ever recorded, for example. Therefore, Kawneer had invited two speakers for the seminar to explain to the attendees the influence that the changing climate has on the built environment in particular. The kickoff was given by Reinier van den Berg, best known as a weatherman for RTL4, but also an expert on climate and sustainability. "Climate change mainly translates into extreme weather conditions," Reinier said. "For example, heavy precipitation, wind gusts and fall winds are increasingly common in summer. Climate change is therefore an urgent issue and a new reality to which we must adapt, including in the built environment."

Effect on work and learning performance

With his lecture, Reinier provided a perfect introduction to the message of the second speaker: Harm Valk, who works at Nieman Consulting Engineers and is the authority on sustainable building. According to him, the consequences of heat stress in utility buildings in particular cannot be underestimated: "Overheating of buildings not only has a negative effect on comfort, but also on work and learning performance and the health of users. What you often see is that the overheating is cooled down with an air conditioning system. But that in turn creates more energy consumption, and in doing so you only compound the problem of climate change."

AA 100 FIXSCREEN® MINIMAL

Although legal regulations, such as BENG and TO-July, do mention a few things about the risk of overheating, Harm sees it as primarily the responsibility of project developers to prevent heat stress. "To keep heat out of the building, exterior shading can play an important role in this," he concluded. The latter was music to the ears of Rob Huvers, Manager of Marketing and New Business at Kawneer. Because in cooperation with the Belgian sun protection specialist Renson, the aluminum system house developed a curtain wall with integrated exterior sun protection: the AA 100 FIXSCREEN® MINIMAL. 

Dynamic wind test

"The uniqueness of this system is that here, for the first time, the combination of a curtain wall with screens has been extensively tested," Rob explained. "The specially developed coupling profile ensures a secure and robust attachment of the screens to the facade. For this purpose, we conducted, among other things, a dynamic wind test with an aircraft propeller. With this test, we simulated a very heavy storm of up to 11 Beaufort with a screen - measuring 3.6 x 6 meters - in the open, closed and half-open position. We also conducted an impact test in which we allowed a 50-kg projectile to collide with the awning. Based on both these tests, we can give a guarantee of no less than ten years on the attachment of the screen to the curtain wall." 

According to Rob, this system is a perfect solution to combat overheating in buildings. "Because with external blinds, you can keep indoor temperatures well under control. Another plus of this new system is its fast and efficient installation, entirely in keeping with Building Simplicity, an important part of our business philosophy. Moreover, the AA 100 FIXSCREEN® MINIMAL forms a unity with the facade and architecture of the building. As a result, this system is also an asset from an aesthetic point of view."